News of the Weird: Cameron Kenney

While sad, you couldn't write a better "stupid crime" and "Cops" moment than former OU WR Cameron Kenney's last month. Photo by Abardwell.

Around this time last year Cameron Kenney was eluding top prospect Prince Amukamara on the football field for a more-impressive-than-the-stats-suggest, 6-65 performance without Ryan Broyles in the lineup. This year, Kenney couldn’t elude a trashcan and a pole in my home town.

The native of Dacula, Ga., a suburb halfway between Atlanta and Athens, was arrested on November 20 for stealing a woman’s purse and using her debit cards to buy drinks…at the same bar he stole the bag.

Brains.

Here’s the report from James Corley from The Oklahoma Daily with contributing reporting from The Red & Black:

Former OU wide receiver Cameron Kenney was arrested 10 days ago on suspicion of stealing a woman’s purse and using her bank cards to buy alcohol for himself and two friends.

According to the police report, Kenney stole a woman’s purse from the chair next to her as a high school friend stood as a lookout Nov. 19 at a bar called Magnolia’s in Athens, Ga., near the University of Georgia campus.

Kenney and his friend met up with a third man and used the woman’s cards at Magnolia’s to buy drinks, according to the police report. They ditched the purse behind the bar, taking several credit cards, her driver’s license, school ID, iPhone and car keys with them, the police report said.

They used her cards to buy more drinks at a restaurant bar down the street, according to the police report.

The woman called the Athens-Clarke County police, who obtained video evidence from a Magnolia’s employee of Kenney stealing the purse and using the cards to buy alcohol, the police report said.

Officers found and arrested Kenney and the two men at 1 a.m. Nov. 20. Kenney tried to run from the arresting officers but tripped, hitting his head on a trashcan and small pole, according to Hilda Sorrow, the Athens-Clarke County Police public information officer.

According to the Athens-Clarke County Jail booking log,

Kenney was charged with one count of theft by taking, one count of obstructing a law enforcement officer, two counts of bank theft and two counts of bank fraud.

Once at the station, police found two credit cards in Kenney’s pants, which the woman had canceled, according

to the police report.

Police took Kenney to Athens Regional Medical Center, where he received treatment for the injuries he sustained fleeing the officers, the police report said.

Kenney posted bail later that day. A court date has not been set, according to the Athens-Clarke County court docket.

The Dacula, Ga., native returned to his home state after an unsuccessful stint in the NFL with the San Diego Chargers’ practice squad earlier this year.

As a senior, Kenney had standout performances in OU’s last three games last season.

He was instrumental in OU’s 47-41 win against Oklahoma State, catching six passes for 141 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Sooners, including an 86-yard touchdown during the Sooners’ 23-point fourth quarter.

Kenney’s 65 yards against Nebraska — second-most on the team — helped the Sooners rally back from a 17-0 deficit to win Oklahoma’s seventh Big 12 Championship.

His 154 yards against Connecticut, second only to Ryan Broyles, helped OU end its BCS losing streak by beating the Huskies, 48-20, in the Fiesta Bowl.

Kenney epitomizes the great emotional divide that I touched upon earlier this year when it comes to talent and production. The former OU receiver wasn’t a great college producer, but the talent was there. One has to speculate that Kenney has a drinking problem to engage in this kind of behavior. As stupid and funny as this is, one has to hope Kenney grows from this as a person.

But right now, he’s just another reason why the NFL spends so much money on background investigations.